The Extra store in Market Weighton’s Southgate celebrated its first anniversary earlier this month, but the purpose-built brick units at the front of the plot have failed to attract local business owners.

While the supermarket thrives, not one of the six ground-floor shops or two first-floor offices have been leased out, but Tesco is hopeful that some will be snapped up in the coming months.

A spokesman for the company said: “We’re in advanced negotiations for two of the units and we have other expressions of interest.

“We do not want them to stay empty for long but as we all know the market is not at its best at the moment.”

Despite this, some local shopkeepers are convinced that Tesco is pricing other businesses out of the market.

Market Weighton Area Business Ltd member and local councillor Keith Lowe, who also runs Woodlowe Upholstery in the town, said: “I personally think they’ve had no intention of renting them out because the people who I have spoken to who have applied for them have said they are far too expensive.

“They’re very basic with no toilet facilities and bare breeze-block walls.

“Anybody who does take one up will pay high rent and then still have to pay more to get the work done on the units.”

Mr Lowe also feels that their inclusion simply formed part of the planning agreement to allow Tesco to build on the old Europower site.

Meanwhile, Mr Lowe says Tesco is continuing to have a negative affect on local traders and suggestions that it would bring more people into the town centre “have not materialised”.

He said: “The general consensus is that Tesco has not done anything to help trade in the town.

“There was the thought that it may bring people in to the town and they would go into the main streets to use the local shops, but that does not seem to have happened.”

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